


Mistaken Relations

by flashofthefuse



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-23 06:22:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9644228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flashofthefuse/pseuds/flashofthefuse
Summary: My contribution to the Feb Trope challenge.





	

Jack turned the key in the lock, laughing. He wished Lucy lived closer so that they could see each other more often. He’d missed her.

“I remember that,” he said, when he’d caught his breath. “What were we? Eleven, twelve?”

He pushed the door open, letting her step through in front of him, following behind with her case in his hand. He turned to close the door, setting the case on the floor beside the entry table.

“Hello.”

Lucy’s tone was curious and amused.

“Hello,” came a meek response from across the room. Jack spun around.

“Miss Fisher! What are you—”

“Jack!” she said, gathering her things around her and holding her dress in front of her to hide, not very effectively, the fact that she wore very little. Only a satin brassiere and tap pants, the straps of her garter peeking out from the hem, a strip of bare flesh between it and the top of her stockings.

Jack was struck dumb.

“I—I’m so sorry—” Phryne stammered. “I thought we said—but clearly...”

She stepped around him, pulling her coat from the hook by the door. By rote reflex, he helped her into it. She closed it around her.

“Please, forgive my intrusion,” she said, and she was out the door.

He shut it behind her and turned, blinking at Lucy.

“Jack!” she admonished. “Go after her!”

That spurred him into action and he bolted out the door. She was already down the path and crossing the street to her car. _How had he not noticed it parked there when they’d pulled up?_

“Miss Fisher!” he shouted. “Phryne! Stop!”

“I’m so sorry, Jack!” she said, slipping behind the wheel of her car and pulling away, leaving him standing in the middle of the street. He stared after her for a long minute, then turned back toward the house. Lucy leaned in the doorway, her arms crossed in front of her, a smirk playing on her lips.

“I assume that was the famous Miss Fisher I’ve heard so much about? She’s lovely. But, I don’t think you’ve been entirely forthcoming with me, Jack.”

* * *

 

“Stop laughing!” Phryne said. “It was humiliating, Mac.”

“I imagine so, but it’s also hilarious, Phryne. I can just picture it. My god. What did he say?”

“Nothing! I think he said my name and he chased me out into the street.”

“He ran you off?”

“No, of course not. He tried to stop me, but what was I supposed to do? Return to the house and meet whoever that was that had come to spend the night? Make it a happy threesome?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Mac said, dryly.

“Oh, shut up. This is Jack were talking about,” Phryne said.

“You didn’t know he was seeing anyone else?”

“No. I guess I assumed...”

“You assumed you were the only one. Is he the only one? For you, Phryne?”

“Since we started, yes,” she said.

“Does he know that?”

“We’ve never discussed it. I didn’t think we had to.”

“Why not? He knew you had other men. How would he know all that was behind you if you never told him?”

“Well, for one thing, when would I have had the time for other men?”

“You don’t spend every night together, do you? And, he’s not one to assume.”

“Where as I, like an idiot, am,” she said, miserably.

“You don’t really know what’s between them,” Mac said. “Talk to him.”

“She had a suitcase. She wasn’t dropping over to borrow a cup of sugar. And she was gorgeous. She was tall and thin and rather glamorous looking. Like a statue of a greek goddess.”

Mac raised her eyebrows. It wasn’t like Phryne to be jealous and very out of character of her to feel insecure.

“And, he was laughing, Mac. Before he opened the door, I could hear him laughing.”

That bothered her more than anything. The knowledge that another woman could make him laugh like that.

“Did she say anything?” Mac asked.

“She might have said ‘hello.’ I was so stunned, I don’t really remember.”

“Why were you there, Phryne? He wasn’t even home.”

“I thought we had plans. He left word at the house. Something about leaving work early and hoping to see me later.”

“And that meant you were to break into his home and wait, naked, on the couch?”

“I wasn’t naked! Not completely. And I have a key.”

“Jack gave you a key to his house?”

“Yes. I broke in after a night at the clubs one too many times, so he had a key cut for me.”

“That doesn’t sound like a man that is entertaining other women. You need to talk to him.”

“No. I can’t. What would I say?”

“Ask him who she is.”

“It’s none of my business.”

“Phryne, you’re in a relationship with this man. It is your business.”

“I don’t want to be that type of woman”

“What type? The type that’s in love? Sorry hon, that ship has sailed.”

* * *

 

“She’s not home,” he said, hanging up the phone. “I’ve left a message with Mr. Butler to have her call.”

“Where would she go? Do you think you should try to find her? She looked rather upset.”

“No. I don’t think she’d welcome my tracking her down. She’ll call later.”

“But, the way she ran out of here—aren’t you worried she may have misunderstood our relationship?”

“You mean she might have thought that you—that we—oh, no. That’s not possible. Phryne knows I’m not seeing anyone else. She was just caught off guard. She’ll call, or show up again and you two will have a good laugh about it. I’ll be the only one embarrassed by the whole debacle.”

“Then she knew I was coming for a visit?”

“Well, no. Your arrival was so sudden, I hadn’t had the chance to tell her. We did have plans tonight. She was supposed to meet me at the station later and we were going to go to dinner, but I’d left word with her new maid that I was called away and would be in touch later. I guess our wires got crossed somewhere. Not surprising really. That girl she has filling in for her assistant is not terribly competent.”

“So, you’re not worried about her?”

“Because of this? No. I worry about her getting herself arrested, or possibly shot, but this kind of thing? No.”

“Alright. You know her, I guess. Actually, from the looks of things you know her far better than I thought. How long has this been going on?”

“I’m not comfortable discussing this with my sister,” he said.

“Twins don’t keep secrets from each other, and I could tell from your letters that you’re happy. I’m glad, Jack. I hope I get another chance to meet her while I’m here, preferably fully clothed.”

* * *

 

“Miss? The inspector is calling, again. Are you in?”

“No. Please tell him I’m out, Mr. Butler. Tell him—just tell him I’m out.”

“Of course, miss.”

Jack hung up the phone. He was sure she’d be in by now, but maybe she’d decided to go dancing.

“Did you reach her?” Lucy asked, when he came back out onto the patio.

“No. She’s still out.”

“You’re worried now, aren’t you?”

“What?” he said, absently. “No. No, I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll talk to her in the morning. Give me those pictures and tell me about your trip.”

But, in the morning, the maid said she was unavailable to take his call and Jack began to be concerned. Was it possible she really had misunderstood his relationship with Lucy? She knew he had a sister and surely she’d seen the resemblance. Obviously, they were not identical, but everyone always remarked on how similar they were in appearance.

This was getting ridiculous, and he thought about just going over to her house and making her talk to him, but a call came in that took him from the station and he didn’t return until several hours later.

Lucy was in his office waiting for him.

“Did you forget we were having lunch?” she said.

“Is it that time already?” he said, checking his watch. “I’m sorry. It’s been a busy morning. Give me a minute, can you?”

“Of course.”

He rounded the desk, pulling his note pad from his pocket and started the incident report on the situation he and Collins had just sorted. He wanted to get the basics written down right away, while it was fresh in his head. He was so intent on hurrying, so as not to keep Lucy waiting, that he didn’t hear her coming.

Phryne strode into his office quickly, before she lost her nerve.

“Jack. I wanted to—”

Lucy popped up out of her chair. Jack stood too, looking from one woman to the next. Phryne had stopped mid sentence. Without another word, she turned on her heels and left.

“Crikey!” Jack said, scrambling around his desk to go after her. “Phryne. Stop. Please, let me explain.”

“No need, Jack,” she said breezily over her shoulder without stopping. “I can see you’re busy. Ha! I really must learn to call first.”

“But, Phryne, she’s my—”

“Inspector,” Hugh called.

“Not now, Collins.”

Phryne was already out the front doors.

“I’m sorry, sir, but it seems there’s a holdup in progress.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Jack exclaimed.

“Go to work, Jack. You can sort it out later,” Lucy said. “She’ll understand.”

* * *

 Phryne downed a slight finger of whisky—it was only noon after all—and paced her parlor.

Twice now, she’d humiliated herself in front of him. Why hadn’t she called first? Or, taken one of his calls over the last twelve hours.

His repeated attempts to reach her convinced her he still wanted to be with her. And, Mac had been right. Without ever having set perimeters for their relationship, she had no right to be upset if he’d been seeing someone else. He was free to do that.

She had hoped to change that though. When she’d gone to his office, she’d intended to suggest the exclusivity she’d already assumed. This whole incident had made her realize that she didn’t want to share Jack Robinson with anyone else.

Now it was all too clear he didn’t feel the same and she wasn’t sure what to do.

“Miss?” Mr. Butler knocked and entered quietly. “There’s a young woman here to see you. A Miss Lucy Robinson.”

The glass slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor.

* * *

 

He’d had to chase one of the robbers down two alleyways, finally tackling him into a pile of rubbish. Hugh corralled the other man and by the time they got them back to the station, processed, and the paper work completed, it was late afternoon.

Jack wanted to go straight to Phryne’s, but he was a mess, and Lucy was waiting for him. He decided to go home and shower and then he and Lucy would visit Phryne together. He needed to get this sorted and introduce the two most important women in his world to each other.

As he turned the knob he heard a sound that made him pause. From inside the house two voices mingled together in raucous laughter. Two distinct voices he’d know anywhere.

He opened the door and stepped inside. They were so engrossed in their conversation, they didn’t even notice him at first. Lucy said something that made Phryne double over laughing.

Lucy looked up.

“Jack!” she said. “Why have you been keeping this delightful woman from me?”

Phryne stood up, crossed the room and stretched up to kiss his cheek.

“Hello, darling. Your sister and I have been having the most marvelous time,” she said beaming. She brushed down his lapels. “You’re filthy, Jack. Go get cleaned up. I promised Lucy we’d all go to the Green Mill tonight.”

“Phryne, you know it’s not appropriate for me to go there.”

“Come on, Jack. Live a little,” Lucy said. “It sounds like fun.”

He looked from one happy, imploring face to the next and knew he didn’t stand a chance.

“Give me a minute,” he said, heading down the hall to the bath.

“Excellent!” Phryne said. “Now, Lucy, you were telling me about the time Jack—”

Jack shut himself into the bath, figuring it was better not to know whatever tale his sister was telling Miss Fisher.

More laughter rang through the house. He smiled.

His beloved sister, and the woman that owned his heart, together, making such joyful noise.

He didn’t think he’d ever before heard anything more beautiful.


End file.
